John Gay

(1685-1732)

John Gay, born in Barnstaple, was briefly apprenticed to a mercer in London. About 1710 he made the acquaintance of Swift, Pope, and Arbuthnot. Gay spent much of his life pursuing patronage, acting as secretary to the duchess of Monmouth (1712-14) and Lord Clarendon (1714). In 1723 he attracted patronage from the Duke and Duchess of Queensberry, who found him a small sinecure. But Gay made his fortune with The Beggar's Opera (1728), perhaps the greatest theatrical success of the century. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.